McIlroy Laughs Off Banana Drama to Stay Alive at the Australian Open
So, picture this: Rory McIlroy, world No. 2, chasing another Australian Open title, and suddenly his biggest opponent on the course isn’t the layout, the greens, or even the weather—it’s a banana peel. Yes, an actual banana peel. That’s how unusual things got during the third round at Royal Melbourne.
McIlroy arrived on Saturday morning hoping to ride the momentum he’d built at the end of his second round. He was seven shots behind the leaders, but the energy was good, the crowds were huge, and everything suggested he could grind his way back into contention. But then the second hole happened.
His tee shot drifted off the fairway and settled into a patch of rough. As he walked up, he noticed something odd: the ball wasn’t just in a bad lie—it was literally draped with a discarded banana skin. He couldn’t touch it because moving the peel could’ve caused the ball to shift, which would mean a penalty. So he just stood there, looking down at this bizarre problem, and had to accept it. Later he called it a “double whammy” and admitted he probably shouldn’t have been anywhere near that spot to begin with.
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What made it even stranger was the fact that he already had an embarrassing moment the day before, when a tree interfered with his backswing and caused him to whiff entirely. It really did start to feel like the course was throwing jokes at him.
But here’s where his class showed. Instead of letting the mishap derail him, he stepped up on the very next hole—the par-four 3rd—and knocked in a birdie. And from there, the crowd came alive. More than 25,000 fans packed the course, and they cheered every time he found a rhythm through the back nine. He carded a three-under-par 68, pulling himself to five-under for the tournament. Not a perfect scorecard, but a resilient one.
Even so, McIlroy admitted the momentum had been tough to find. The greens were tricky thanks to Melbourne’s on-and-off rain, and several putts hung on the lip instead of dropping. He felt like that had been the story of the entire week—close, but not quite enough to build real confidence.
Still, he believes he’s not out of it. If the leaders stay around 10 or 11 under, he thinks he has a real chance to make a run on Sunday. He’s done it before, famously snatching the 2013 Australian Open from Adam Scott with a late surge. He knows exactly what a hot round can do.
So tomorrow, he’ll head out, do his best, and try to fire something low. Banana peels or not, Rory McIlroy is still very much in this fight.
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